Changes in the sorption capacity of Coastal Plain sediments due to redox alteration of mineral surfaces

Chemical characteristics of grain coatings in a Coastal Plain sandy aquifer on the Eastern Shore of Virginia were investigated where sediments have been exposed to distinct groundwater redox conditions. Dissolved O2 was 5.0 to 10.6 mg L−1 in the regionally extensive aerobic groundwater, whereas in a narrow leachate plume it was only <0.001 to 0.9 mg L−1. The amount of dissolved Fe in the aerobic groundwater was only 0.005 to 0.01 mg L−1, but it was 12 to 47 mg L−1 in the anaerobic zone. The amount of extractable Fe was an order of magnitude higher for the aerobic sediments than for the anaerobic sediments indicating that reductive dissolution removed the oxide coatings. The capacity for anion sorption on the sediment surfaces, as indicated by the sorption of 35SO42-, was an order of magnitude higher in the aerobic vs. anaerobic sediments. The presence of anaerobic groundwater did not significantly alter the amount of extractable Al oxides on the surface of the sediments, and those coatings helped to maintain a high surface area. The removal of the Fe oxides from the grain surfaces under anaerobic conditions was solely responsible for the significant reduction of SO4 sorption observed. This loss of capacity for anion sorption could lead to more extensive transport of negatively charged constituents such as some contaminant chemicals or bacteria that may be of concern in groundwater.